


Same Time, Next Year

by EllieBear



Category: Veronica Mars (Movie 2014), Veronica Mars (TV), Veronica Mars - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Heavy Angst, cheating spouses, lost loves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-04
Updated: 2019-02-04
Packaged: 2019-10-22 09:12:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17659913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EllieBear/pseuds/EllieBear
Summary: Each year, Veronica returns to the same cabin in the mountains to reunite with her soul mate, Logan.





	Same Time, Next Year

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story based on a plot bunny Irma66 and I spent the day throwing around. The movie "Same Time Next Year" is an angsty melodrama starring Ellen Burstyn and Alan Alda -- a classic piece of 1970's cinema. I didn't have time to get into the full detail of the story I wanted, but this is a hint of what could eventually be a very long and tragic LoVe story. It is also un-beta'd to surprise my awesome editor and friend. ;)
> 
> Happy birthday, B!!! You really are the best and I hope you enjoy your special day!

Veronica could never get over how beautiful the Canadian forest became in September and each year she returned to her sanctuary, she marveled at the rich golden tones of the poplars set against the deep earthy green of the pines.  Some years, there was already snow in the mountains when she arrived, but this year there was an unseasonal warmth that made her shed her  cashmere coat the minute she got into her rental vehicle.  As she drove from the airport through the city, the mountains came closer and closer, sending shivers of excitement thought her.  Would he get to the cabin before her?  There seemed to be a secret race between her and Logan as to which one of them would be the first to arrive the tiny chalet located just past the gates of Banff National Park.  One year, they ran into each other at the airport, laughing at how fate brought them together again, just like it had all those years ago.

 

Ten years, they had been coming up here together, for the last three days in September to get away and enjoy each other’s company.  Veronica would have called it _their_ anniversary, if they had been married to each other and not to other people.  But each year they met, back at the place where they first fell in love, nothing and no one else mattered, if only for a few days.  Or at least that was what they she tried to tell herself.

 

The first time, it was a lark – an escape from their lives – both of them attending the same conference at the prestigious Banff Centre for the Arts.  Young, handsome Logan Echolls was speaking at an international symposium about philanthropy and fundraising for not-for-profits during a recession.  Veronica was there as curator for the struggling New York Photography Gallery, seeking any and all information that could see her labour of love stay open for another year.   Seated next to each other over dinner, their discussions about museums and art turned to playful banter which lead to deep conversation about their loves and lives that continued all the way into Logan’s bed.  Having married her high school sweetheart, Veronica had never experienced the rapturous passion she found with Logan.  He in turn, admitted their connection was startling – having settled for a somewhat quiet life with his wife after a rowdy youth – and he begged Veronica to stay the rest of the weekend in bed with him, as they discovered every intimate detail about each other. 

 

In the end, they decided while neither could leave their spouses, that they still needed to stay connected and they pledged that there would be no other contact between them for the sake of their loved ones.  However, once a year, they would return on the same three days to be together, if only for a short time.

 

Smiling as she pulled off the highway down the small road that led to the cluster of lodges, she thought she should quickly pop into town and buy Logan an _un_ -anniversary gift.  Ten year was diamonds – she knew this because Duncan had presented her with a Tiffany diamond tennis bracelet on their wedding anniversary.  It was in the middle of his Senate campaign and he surprised her after everyone had left the office.  She was seven-months pregnant with their son, William, and they both laughed at the fact that her wrist was so swollen; she couldn’t get the bracelet on.  Instead, she wore it the night he won his seat, the diamonds catching the camera lights as she waved to the crowded room.  But she quickly realized that if she bought Logan something, he would have to hide it upon his return home, so the idea faded into a dull ache in her heart.

 

Parking in front of the office, Veronica unbuckled her seatbelt with a heavy sigh.  She shouldn’t be focused on the end before anything even began.  After ten years, she thought the wound of leaving Logan would heal into a hard, numb scar; but each year it opened, no matter how hard she tried to keep it closed. 

 

Opening the door, she stood, glancing around the sprawling grounds she inhaled deeply, taking in the cool pungent smell of the forest.  The leaves were already turning to rot and by the look and acidic scent of the underbrush, there must have been rain recently.

 

“Veronica!”

 

Her head snapped towards their cabin located just past the office building.  Logan was standing on the porch in his jeans, his green Henley shirt stretching across his muscular form as he waved his hand vigorously in the air, his smile spread wide across his face.

 

“Hey!”  She waved like a child seeing a best friend across the school yard, holding herself back from running across the grounds.  “Just a second!”

 

Jumping back into the car, she turned on the ignition and drove straight up beside the cabin.  Logan’s rental was parked in front and she stopped at the end of the porch, keeping her eyes on him through the windshield as he hurried down to the car.  Scrambling out of her car, his arms wrap around her immediately and she exhales the weight of the year into the wind. 

 

“It’s so good to see you,” he murmurs into her hair, but all she could manage was a muffled acknowledgement, worried that her emotions may run away from her. 

 

Grasping his biceps, Veronica held him close to her, breathing in that singular Logan scent – California salt and sand, woody musk, and sandalwood.   She remembers the first time she picked up his scent, as he leaned closer to her at the dinner table that night so long ago, and the way it intoxicated her senses.  Every now and then she would catch the faintest hint of the sea on someone in a room and it would immediately bring her mind back to one thought – Logan.

 

Pushing herself away from his chest, her hands squeezed his muscles playfully.  “Good to _feel_ you.  You’ve been working out more, I see.”

 

With a wink and a slight nod, Logan flexes under his shirt as she giggles.  “Gotta stay in shape.  I aim to make it to at least ninety years old, so we can continue this when we’re senior citizens.”

 

Shaking her head, Veronica presses her hands to his pecs, taking note as he flexes again in her grasp.  “You’ll want to make love to an old, wrinkly woman like me?  All either of us will be good for by then will be backgammon and canasta.”

 

He bent toward her, kissing her cheek gently and a wave of heat swept through Veronica.  “For the record, I will always want to make love to you.  And we can play backgammon naked.”

 

Tossing her long blond hair back as she laughed, Veronica jerked her thumb towards the car. “Why don’t you flex those muscles and get my bag from the trunk – we have a lot of naked backgammon to get to.”

 

“Yes ma’am!” 

 

With a playful salute, Logan clicked his heels together before walking around the back of the car to retrieve her suitcase.  Tossing him a soft smile, Veronica ducked her head back into the front seat to retrieve her purse and coat, a giddy rush tickling through her veins.

 

Three days.  Three days of paradise.

 

\----------------------------------------------------

 

The grove between Logan’s chest muscles fit Veronica’s index finger perfectly and she followed his sternum down to his abs, tracing each oval muscle on his stomach slowly until all six were accounted for.  Last year, they were starting to become defined, but not like this.  At thirty-five, Logan had reached peak hotness, in her humble opinion.  And while she still worked to keep herself fit, the deep scar across her belly from the birth of her second child – David – gave her a little paunch that made her feel self conscious every time she was naked with Logan.  The year it happened, he insisted he didn’t care, but it still stayed in the back of her mind and so, even now, while he sprawled naked across their bed, she wound herself in the sheets to hide her aging body.

 

“How’s Hannah?” 

 

Even though it pained her, Veronica needed to know – her brain needed to fill in the blanks – and find out exactly what had happened in her lover’s life over the past year.  She was so good and never Googled him – never tried to email or call or text him – and he gave her the same courtesy lest either of their spouses or any of their children find out.

 

Running his hand through his hair, Logan let out a deep sigh, his hand slipping behind his head.  “Okay.  She had another miscarriage and I think I may finally have her convinced that we should stop trying.  We were lucky once and got the twins – but this constant rollercoaster of injections and procedures is starting to wear on our marriage.”

 

Adjusting her head in the crook of his shoulder, Veronica rested her hand on his heart beating strong against her palm.  “That can’t be easy on either of you.  How many miscarriages has she had over the years?  It’s sad to say but I think I’ve lost track.”

 

“Five in all – three before the twins, two after – and each one tears out a piece of my soul and hers too.”  His hands move to rest on her hip, his thumb moving back and forth gently over the sheet.  “But we have the money and so she keeps trying.  She always said she wanted a big family, but trust me, _twins_ is big enough – especially when they’re five years old and ganging up on me.”

 

“Poor Logan!  Did the itty bitty children scare you?”  Chuckling, Veronica pated his chest, smiling up at him.

 

“You laugh, but last week I caught them helping each other climb up on top of the refrigerator.”

 

“For what?”

 

“Nothing!  They just wanted to see if they could do it.”  Glancing down at her, his grin created deep lines in his cheeks and his eyes lit up with delight at the mention of his sons.  “Unfortunately, Jace and Jax are one-hundred percent me.  Which either means I need to double up and get their nanny some backup or get them into some rock climbing programs so they can channel that energy into something positive.”

 

“David went to a birthday party at a rock climbing place and loved it.  You should look into it – it’s a lot of fun.  Plus, they get home too exhausted for more mischief.”

 

“Duly noted.  How are your boys anyway?”

 

“Good.  William turned thirteen this summer and I have a full-fledged teenager on my hands.  And David will be eight in a few months but because of his older brother, thinks he’s a teenager as well.”

 

A light squeeze of Logan’s hand on her thigh sent shivers through her and she wiggled her body closer to his. When she was pregnant with David she still came up to meet Logan.  At the time, Hannah and him were still having problems conceiving and carrying a child to term and Veronica let him indulge in the fantasy that David was “their’s” – allowing him to treat her with the loving care that Duncan was unable to give her while he was on the road, campaigning for his eventual Senate position.

 

“So what should I know about having a teenage son?  I’m going to have two eventually – give me some tips.”

 

Veronica rose on her elbow, gazing down at Logan.  The smile lines were deeper in his skin this year, accented by the paths of stubble cast over his slim features.  When they started their dalliance when they were both twenty-five, he still had a boyish roundness to his face, but now she stared down at a man – with lines and depth to his features and the slightest hint of grey starting to peek through his chestnut brown hair.

 

“Never leave them alone with their girlfriends. Ever.  Not even a second.  A couple of weeks ago, I let Will go upstairs with his girlfriend Penny to get a textbook they needed to study with in the living room.  Well, I got carried away working on something for the gallery on my laptop and didn’t notice how long they were gone; went upstairs to find her sitting on his lap, on his bed, kissing him.”

 

A sharp chuckle escaped Logan and Veronica frowned.  “Did a girl corrupt your sweet baby boy?”

 

Playfully smacking his chest, Veronica shook her head.  “You laugh!  But with Duncan in Washington, I was the one who had to have the ‘respect your girlfriend and yourself’ talk which really, really sucked for everyone involved.  I thought Will was going to spontaneously combust from embarrassment when I used the word ‘condom’.”

 

With a small toss of his dishevelled hair, he raised his torso and she giggled as they move, his arms coming around her to pull her to his chest as he leaned back against the headboard.  Kissing the tip of her nose, Logan pressed his forehead to hers.  “I’m sorry.  I know the past few years without Duncan there every day have been rough for you.”

 

Veronica’s chest tightened – she wanted to look away, but couldn’t – her gaze trapped with Logan’s.  The unsaid being said already, earlier than usual.  Was she ready to leave Duncan for him?  It wasn’t that their marriage was bad per se – it was just quiet.  She had met Duncan in high school when they both lived in Neptune, California. He was the brother of her best friend, Lilly, and they immediately started dating.  When the time came to choose a university, they decided to go to Columbia Law together, getting engaged just before they left Neptune to justify living together off campus.  They were married in a lavish ceremony at the end of their third-year.  Duncan was handsome and quiet, with aspirations to change the world by becoming a politician.  The first bill he worked on was the Clean Water Conservation Act and both of them were thrilled that he was finally achieving his dream.  Duncan’s father’s money helped on all these fronts and although Veronica hated Celeste, her bitchy step-mother, her step-father, Jake, had become like a second father to her after her own father, Keith, passed away unexpectedly from a heart-attack when Veronica was still in college.  And it wasn’t that Duncan was a bad lover either, but up until Logan had shown up in her life, he was the only man Veronica had ever had sex with and as such was content with the muted intimacy between them.

 

“It has been rough not having him there for me and the boys every day, but I’m still not ready to be on my own.”

 

He nodded at her choice of words, his fingers brushing aside a section of her hair from near her face as he sighed with resolve. 

 

“I’m not ready either.”  His voice was barely above a whisper as he closed his eyes – trying to mask the pain she knows is there. “Hannah...she’s not in a good place...mentally I mean...because of the drugs she’s been on and the miscarriages...and if I left her with the boys...I don’t know...”

 

Sweeping her lips across Logan’s made him silent.  There were no more words left to be said right now.  When he opened his eyes, she could see the anguish of their situation reflected back to her and she swallows her pain, trying not to let it spoil one moment of their valuable time together.  Veronica averted her gaze, continuing to trail gentle kisses across his cheek bone to his ear as her arms wrapped around him, pulling her body closer to his. 

 

“Then for now, this will do.” Jerking her head to one side, she forced a tight smile across her lips.  “Come on.  We should take a quick trip into town for groceries and wine before the shops start to close.  You know I need some of that Rocky Road Fudge to keep me going this weekend.”

 

A wry smile pressed across his face and he nods.  “You’re right.  We’ll have plenty of time for talk later.  Let’s take a quick shower and head out.”

 

Releasing him, Veronica pulled the sheets with her as she rises, standing near the edge of the bed.  While her own modesty gets the best of her, Logan jumped out of bed fully revealing his tanned, toned naked body before stretching his arms over his head with unabashed immodesty.  She couldn’t help but watch as his skin rippled and fell over new and interesting muscles – blue veins flashing through his flesh as he moved.  Coming around the bed, he wrapped his arms around her and in a second she was lifted off her feet and in his arms.  Squealing with happiness, her arms anchored around his shoulders as he bounced her slightly repositioning her in his grasp before starting his way towards the bathroom.

 

“Just a quick shower, huh?”  She teased, kissing his cheek as he moved.

 

“That all depends on how long it takes for me to make you come again.  Could be short...could be very, very long...”  Logan’s head dipped to her neck, giving her a playful bite that sent shock waves of pleasure through her body.

 

Relaxing into his arms, Veronica began to lose herself in the joyous moment of them being together once more.  No more talk about _real life_.  For now, this was all the real life she needed.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“In this economy, it’s just so hard for the gallery...”  Veronica paused to take a sip of her red wine, her eyes fixed on Logan seated across from her in a high-back chair, the light from the roaring wood fireplace dancing across the glass.  “I mean, years ago, we weathered the recession by the skin of our teeth, but right now there seems to be low commitment from some of our long-standing patrons and I’m really starting to think we need to do something drastic like cut staffing.”

 

Logan nodded, placing his empty glass on the side table next to his chair.  “And it’s not just you, unfortunately – the foundation is seeing more and more requests just for operating costs and less and less for special projects.”

 

The Lester Foundation was created by Logan after his mother – Lynn Echolls – tragically decided to end her own life when he was only eighteen.  The foundation started small, with only the art collection she left for him along with a sizable sum of money which he decided to use towards something she would be proud of.  When his father – screen legend Aaron Echolls – was fatally stabbed one year later by a jealous husband who caught Aaron in bed with his trophy wife, Logan took half of his multi-million dollar inheritance and became one of the country’s youngest philanthropists.  Having grown up in Los Angeles, Logan majored in business at UCLA, just to be able to manage and grow the funds, and proceeded to dedicate all of his energies to funding arts projects around North America.  The passionate way in which Logan spoke about his life’s work was what first attracted Veronica to him; and his intelligence and wit is what led her to his bed.

 

“Good to know it’s not just us,” Veronica chuckled, raising her glass to him before finishing the rest of the wine.  “I was beginning to worry.”

 

Veronica had become acquainted with the gallery on the advice of her mother-in-law, who suggested that if she wanted to truly support Duncan’s hopes of getting into politics, that she find a “pet project” to support, like the wives of so many politicians and so Veronica began pursuing her other passion by volunteering with the photography gallery.  Her knowledge of both the law and her high-school hobby of photography quickly turned into a new career and she loved the unique challenges of working in the arts.  Over the years however, Duncan’s distraction with his own work found her looking more and more to friends to discuss her passion when he failed to reciprocate her excitement.  Logan came around at a time when she was desperate for some validation that her career was in fact, more than just a passing fancy for a rich political wife.

 

“No.  It’s not just you.”  Logan leaned his elbows on his knees, his eyes shifting towards the fire.  “These are rough times to be in a creative institution – there are just so many social needs right now, that sometimes I think I should start up a new foundation just dedicated to solving the world’s problems.”

 

“The whole world, huh?”  Placing her glass on her side table, Veronica leaned back in her chair but kept her eyes trained on Logan as he stared into the fire.  “That’s a lofty goal.”

 

“Aim high, I always say.”

 

Her hand stretched out towards him across the short expanse and he reciprocated, taking it in his.  Times like this, just sitting and talking about their passions, Veronica could easily leave everything else behind.  Logan’s gaze softened in the light of the fire and she couldn’t help but smile at his presence. 

 

“I never want you to worry about the gallery.  If you need it, I’ll be there to help – always.”  Narrowing his gaze, Logan’s voice was quiet and serious.  His invitation understood – even if they can’t be together, she can still always count on him if she needed.

 

“I...I know...”

 

Veronica’s chest tightened – if only Logan knew how close she had come in the last year to making his offer a reality.  There was once, just after one of her therapy sessions with Duncan several months ago, where she almost did make the one call that would bring them together, but the look of excitement on her children’s faces when they came home from school and saw their father at home, after being gone for weeks in Washington, made her change her mind.  She wasn’t miserable and neither was Duncan – they just weren’t where they once were.

 

Standing, he kept her hand in his as he moved to her, dropping to his knees in front of Veronica, Logan’s eyes now level with hers.  Leaning forward, Veronica’s lips brushed his, softly at first, as her heart ached, tears kept at bay.  Teasing her gently, Logan pulled away slightly, forcing her to shift towards the edge of the chair – her knees parting to accommodate his body – to find him once more.  Again they connected, desire now pushing her to thread her fingers through his hair, making sure he doesn’t move away.  Time was not on their side, and Veronica’s urgency always managed to rise to near frenzy quickly in his grasp.

 

“Easy, Bobcat.  We still have time...” Logan’s whispered words passed across her skin.

 

Pressing her forehead to his, Veronica held his gaze, a sadness she knew too well darkening his beautiful brown eyes.

 

“No.  We don’t.”

 

A moment of recognition that she was speaking the truth flashed across his face before adding a solemn nod.  Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her hips to his and a shiver ran through her at the pressure.  Rolling her hips against his, Veronica’s lips returned to his, greedy for more of him.  Unbuckling his belt, she unzipped the fly of his khakis, slipping her hand into the space and he moaned at her touch, his lips vibrating against hers.  She had spent all year craving him and now that he was here with her, she needed satisfying.  Her hands worked the buttons of his shirt before pressing against the heat of his skin.  When his fingers slipped along the edge of her jeans to unbuckle her pants, her breath hitched in anticipation and she arched against him, allowing Logan to slide her jeans them down her body to the floor.  Taking a moment to slip out of his pants and shirt, he knelt again as Veronica pulled her t-shirt over her head, tossing it aside, leaving her only in her black lace bra and underwear, her hands dropping around her soft belly.

 

Picking up one hand, and then the other, Logan kissed them lovingly, his eyes skimming her form.  “Why are you doing that?”

 

Blinking sharply, Veronica frowned.  “Doing what?”

 

“Covering yourself.  All day, you’ve been hiding your body from me at every turn – and all I’ve wanted to do is see more of you.”  He paused, running his fingers up along her thighs and stopping at her hands.  “Did Duncan say...?”

 

“No!”  The mention of her husband’s name from her lover’s lips at this intimate moment shocking her.  “Celeste – she made a comment last year about not wearing a bikini anymore, now that I’m getting ‘older’ and offered to get me an appointment with her plastic surgeon to get rid of my baby-belly once and for all.”

 

Anger flashed across Logan’s face.  “I know you don’t need me to tell you this, but I’ll tell you anyway -- you don’t need a plastic surgeon.”

 

Taking his face in her hands, Veronica kissed him and smiled.  “Thank you.  You’re right – I don’t need you to say it – but it’s still nice to hear.”

 

“Did you go and see him – the surgeon?  I know you try and play nice with Celeste for Jake and the kids...”

 

Chuckling, Veronica lay back in the chair, her arms draped over the sides of the armrests, her body now on full display to her lover.  “I did.  He told me not only could he get rid of my belly but he could make my breasts bigger and ‘perkier’ as well as tighten my vagina.”

 

A mocking snort escaped Logan, his hand coming up to cover his mouth.  “What did you say?”

 

“That I liked my vagina just fine the way it was, thanks.”

 

Logan erupted with laughed and Veronica couldn’t help but join in.  When she had told Duncan about the situation, her husband had become annoyed, suggesting they complain about the ethics of the doctor that would suggest such a thing – the moral outrage that a man would say this to his wife too much for him to handle.  She was glad that Logan found the same humour she did in the ridiculous situation as she did.

 

“Well, that’s good – because I like it just fine the way it is too.”  Lifting her foot slowly in the air he kissed the heel and she giggled as he made his way up her calf, planting delicate pecks until she got to her inner thigh and paused, placing her leg over one arm of the chair and spreading her fully to him before continuing his path to her waiting, wet core.

 

For the next hour, Logan took his time showing her exactly how much he enjoyed her body in the most intimate ways and Veronica was more than willing to reciprocate every touch, every stroke, every enthusiastic call of pleasure then and through the night.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The relativity of time was Veronica’s enemy.  Three days in her normal world could drag on for what seemed like weeks, but in Logan’s arms, three days was done in a flash, leaving nothing but the lingering heartbreaking memory.

 

Suitcases were packed in the cars and as she leaned against her rental car, Veronica chewed her thumb nail, wishing the next part wouldn’t happen.  Every time they said good-bye there was a piece of her that left with him and she didn’t feel whole until three-hundred-and-sixty-two days later when they would return to each other.

 

“Hey, I just did a double check and nothing was left behind.”

 

Jogging down the steps in his brown leather jacket and jeans, Logan looked like the enthusiastic twenty-something she first met all those years ago.   Coming to meet her by the car, he wrapped her in his arms, pulling her to his chest, one last time.

 

Pressed against his beating heart, Veronica gathered her strength.  She could do this.  She could leave him.  She had to leave him.  For her family.  For herself.  This was all just a beautiful distraction – but it was time to get back to her normal life.  Maybe one day he would be her every-day normal, but for now, Veronica needed to focus on being grateful that they had this, and their fond memories to sustain them.

 

“I love you.”  He whispered, burying his lips in his hair.  “Always.”

 

“I love you too.”  Her words were spoken into his chest, trying to hide the emotion on her face.

 

For a moment, they were frozen, not being the one to be the first to part.  It wasn’t until the alarm on her cell phone chimed that Veronica wiggled from his grasp, forcing him to step back.  She knew from experience that she needed to leave by a certain time, or she would be running through the airport to catch her flight, and staying any longer would deny the inevitable.  Pulling the phone from her back pocket, she shut off the alarm, noticing a text from Duncan in her alerts, but choosing to ignore it for now before shoving the phone back in its place.

 

“Same time...” Logan began hesitantly, his hands shoved in his pockets, his desperate eyes gazing down at her.

 

“...next year.”  Veronica whispered, rising on her toes to give him one final quick peck on the lips before disappearing into the car.

 

She couldn’t look at him again, focusing instead on the ignition and adjusting the mirrors.  It wasn’t until she was about to back up that Veronica caught a glance of Logan’s somber expression, tears moistening his face.  Pressing her palm against the window, she repeated her vow, exaggerating her words so he could read her lips.

 

“I love you.”

 

A short nod, followed by the mouthed response that he loved her too was the last she could bear to witness of his pain.  Using the last of her emotional strength, she pulled out of the parking spot, slowly turning to join the path back to the highway.  She didn’t look back.

 

The tears started falling just past the office as Veronica’s chest heaved, trying to keep herself from completely breaking down.  There was time.  When she was out of sight, there was time.  Turning quickly onto the highway, she sped down the road, allowing her sobs to overtake her, the sound of her gasping breaths filling the space.  She just needed to get down the road and she would be fine.  Speeding through the parkway, she slowed to pass through the gates of the national park, avoiding the eyes of the people as she coasted through, speeding up as soon as she could.  The access road was just a little ways away.  Hiccupping between sobs, Veronica wiped the tears from her eyes, trying to focus. 

 

She barely made it this year, turning off the road in a cloud of dust and disappearing down the gravel path, stopping abruptly in the shelter of the trees and throwing the car into park.

 

Only there did she allow herself to weep, for herself, for Logan, for the choices she was forced to make, and for the happiness she could glimpse but not fully grasp.  As she buried her face in her hands, Veronica reassured herself.

 

Someday, one day, _next year_  would be _forever_.


End file.
